Beauty on the Fire
by Elena Katine
Summary: **Clover** Oruha's thoughts on the knowledge she possesses. Probably contains spoilers. Set to the Natalie Imbruglia song with the same name.


"Beauty on the Fire"  
  
Oruha, and her thoughts on the knowledge she possesses. The song is "Beauty on the Fire" by Natalie Imbruglia. (~~ denotes song.)  
  
  
  
~~Here it comes again  
~~Cannot outrun my desire  
~~Cover my descent  
~~And throw the  
~~Beauty on the fire  
  
Hands moving, the rustle of silk. A zipper undone. Cloth falls to the ground, unnoticed. They did not have to speak; their bodies always came together in perfect harmony, a rapport beyond words. The sheets on the bed, black like all of her clothing, slid around them with barely a whisper of movement.   
When they were together like this, she was certain she would never be alone.  
  
~~Drawn towards the edge  
~~Do I assume I could fly  
~~Every secret shared   
~~Why do I drink  
~~The feelings dry  
  
Afterward, Oruha sat up and gazed lovingly at her dear Kazuhiko. He looked so wonderful, all sweaty and sated and smiling like a fool. A beautiful fool. Her beautiful fool.   
He took one of her pale hands and squeezed it affectionately. "We'll be like this forever."  
She almost flinched at his words, but smiled with a warmth she did not feel inside. "Forever and ever." she affirmed softly.   
  
~~Don't go too far  
~~Limitation scars  
  
Forever was not long enough.   
Oruha knew she was dying by minutes. Her time left was short, too short, and Kazuhiko didn't know a thing. It was better that way. Better to have him blind to her truth than to have their last few weeks together be filled with sorrow.   
She had not planned on falling in love with him. For three months she had eluded his advances, had tried being blunt, subtle, and everything in between, and finally could fight it no more. Somewhere in the process, she had fallen for him, and the rest, as they said, was history. She was his, and it hurt her inside almost more than she could bear.   
  
~~Tonight  
~~Could I be lost forever  
~~To drown  
~~My soul in  
~~Sensory  
~~Pleasure  
  
"Can I lose myself in you?" she asked him sweetly one night, as they lay together on her bed, side-by-side, hands intertwined.   
He smiled and kissed her, and that was all they said for a very long while. He slept the whole night, as she watched over him, afraid to even allow the luxury of rest for fear of missing one minute with him. When he awoke, she said she had only recently awoken as well. He accepted the lie without question.   
Inwardly she was weeping; the only lies she ever told him were out of love. And the road to hell was paved with good intentions...  
  
~~Here it comes again  
~~You raise the bar even higher  
~~I cannot catch my breath  
~~So throw the  
~~Beauty on the fire  
  
The day was drawing nearer. One day they went shopping, and Oruha browsed for a new dress. She had plenty of dresses, of course, but she needed something special. Something different. Not shocking, just... different.   
A white dress. The irony did not escape her. Kazuhiko insisted on paying; she let him, knowing it would be one of his last chances to do so. He said the dress made her look like an angel; in her other clothes, she was a devil, a seductress, a siren, tempting, taunting, and finally delivering, but she was never an angel.   
He spent the night again, but Oruha gave in this time and let sleep overcome her, along with uneasy dreams of a future she could not touch.   
  
~~Don't push too hard  
~~Limitation scars  
  
"My one power, and it was this." she whispered, brushing powder on her eyes, pale lipstick on her full mouth. How many lives had the Clover Project destroyed? Who else felt her pain? There had to be others, and yet...   
I could never be his four-leaf clover... I could never be his happiness. All I can be is his pain.  
She dressed in the white gown with a feeling of ritual significance. Tonight would be a night Kazuhiko would remember all his life. Forever was not long enough, but she had stayed with him as long as she could.   
  
~~Tonight  
~~Could I be lost forever  
~~To drown  
~~My soul in  
~~Sensory  
~~Pleasure  
~~Sensory  
~~Pleasure  
  
As the last note left her lips, Oruha heard a crack that echoed through the small nightclub. Pain blossomed in her chest, at the exact spot between her breasts where she had a clover tattoo. Something warm and deadly dripped onto her pristine gown; across the room, she saw Kazuhiko stand, dark eyes wide and disbelieving. Her will gave out, and she collapsed.   
The concert was over.  
  
  
A/N: Now it's angsty Oruha... which is actually very out of character for her. But I would suppose that knowing the date of your own death would entitle you to some angst. Well, let me know what you think! 


End file.
